Preksha Baid, founder of multi disciplinary design practice Y-walls, has received the YCE (Young Creative Entrepreneur) Award in the field of design by the British Council.
"Preksha is very focused, highly motivated and committed. She is clear about the immense scope of her business idea and where she would want to position it. She is open to collaboration and willingly shares credit," said one of the judges.
After receiving the award, Baid said she felt "like a bird with a new and stronger pair of wings."
Baid's dream is to design and build social spaces that are sustainable and instantly connect with users. Through 'Y-walls,' she aims to revive the art of story telling in India and build spaces that help people to connect and engage better with their habitat: "Every space should tell a story because stories that are written today are read tomorrow."
Y-Walls mission is rooted in the question: "Why do we need walls?" Baid explains, "Walls don't have to be so boring. Imagine playful and flexible textile walls that transform the entire space within minutes. Pleated textile walls, which can be used as a space divider, for installation or as an alternative to wallpaper for both interior and exterior spaces. Unlike solid walls these walls can be twisted in any direction, and can be installed or replaced easily."
The YCE award aims to reward creative entrepreneurs based in India and provides them a platform to converse with their UK counterparts. The program also aims to link them with potential investment and mentoring opportunities in partnership with the Indian Angel Network (IAN), which is India's first and largest business angel network.
The judging panel included Amit Gulati, Co-Founder, Incubis Consulting; Pramiti Madhavji, Editor In Chief, Elle Decor (UK); Rwituja Mookherjee, Head, Creative Economy-British Council, India and Sri Lanka; and Jai Vikram Bakshi, Digiqom Solutions.
YCE awards are also give recognition to creative entrepreneurship in Music, Fashion, Communication, Visual Arts, Screen, Interactive, Performing Arts and Publishing.
